Fantasia Reviews Elven Borne

Elven Borne by Scott Marcy

Published 4/13/2016

Ages 14+

“Everything Jake knew changed that fateful fall morning. The future planned for him, the girl he loved, and even his race altered. When a tremendous earthquake hit the town of Fort Defiant, Colorado, Jake and his friends became elves — most of them anyway. They were not the only ones who transformed. Monstrous creatures, known as Daemia, attacked the city and plunged them into a battle for survival.

Join Jake, his friends, and family as they fight to save the lives of those they love. This adventure will take them across a new and strange land that had once been their home. The must find a way not only to survive but to also defeat a vicious enemy bent on their destruction. Come along with them as they explore the future of Earth and battle to save us all.” – From Amazon

Story – Okay

Mister Marcy takes us on an unusual adventure in Elven Borne, and while it may not be the worst story we have ever read, it is eclipsed by many others. While at times incoherent, the narrative is lacking regarding direction and consistency. While it is an interesting idea for a story, it is deficient in execution and does not feel quite complete. We now have a better understanding of the true meaning of ‘half-baked.’ The characters were just not quite compelling enough to push the story along, which left us wondering if such an intriguing future could be populated by such boring people.

Writing and Formatting – Average

The author possesses some skill, it’s obvious he has practiced, though maybe not quite enough to publish. There are some errors with the overall formatting, but those are negligible when compared to the chapter formats, which jar us between points of view and time periods mid-chapter without any rhyme or reason. It makes what is already a relatively shaky narrative even harder to follow.

Literary Value – Lacking

This is where Elven Borne disappoints us the most because we are not sure what we are supposed to be taking away from the experience. In the past, we have said it is okay just to write a story, and it is, but this does not quite make it to that level of acceptability, the lack of a message or central theme hinders this work substantially more in our eyes than the formatting and the lackluster story.

Overall – 2, Inconsistent

If we were to pick a single word to describe Elven Borne, it would be inconsistent. While there were great moments, they were rare, with the rest of the words just feeling like filler. It is the equivalent of ordering the prime rib at a restaurant, being given 2oz of meat and told to drink water until we are full. While those 2oz were delicious, they do not compensate us for the price of the meal, and we are left wishing there had been more.